WHOEVER thought of the theme for Duterte’s Sona – “A Comfortable Life for All” – must be living on Mars, if not out of their mind. How can life be comfortable for all when there is martial law in Mindanao? Can you tell that to the 260,000 refugees from Marawi still languishing in evacuation centers? The 8,000 Tokhang victims and the widows of the war on drugs in poor neighborhood? The millions of contractual workers who are denied regular work despite Duterte’s promise of dismantling labor contractualization? The landless farmers? The masses suffering from unemployment, rising prices of basic commodities, and lack of decent housing?

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On behalf of the In Defense of Human Rights and Dignity Movement (iDEFEND), I would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to Representatives McGovern and Hultgren, as well as all the other good members of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission for their support to the human rights protection of the Filipino people. The concern, involvement and solidarity by people abroad is very important during these very challenging times.

The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) expresses alarm over reports that the local government of Paniqui in the province of Tarlac is now implementing an ID system but applied exclusively to Muslims.

"We cannot leave the field to a neoliberalism that has failed or to an extremism that has appropriated some of our analysis and married them to hideous, reactionary values. A progressive future is not guaranteed. We must work to bring it about, and we will."

It is widely believed that economic growth and development have bypassed the southern regions of the Philippines. This is seen as the cause of the serious political problems that now plague Mindanao. A closer look at Mindanao’s economic development, however, reveals that far from being isolated from the mainstream of the national economy, the island has been a major performer and a primary contributor to the country’s productive capacities.

Fascism comes in different ways in different countries, and even within the same country, it can appear in a different manner at a later date than it did earlier. The common view of how fascism comes to power is what we may brand the Marcos model of “creeping fascism.” First, there are the violations of civil rights and political liberties, then comes the lunge for absolute power, then indiscriminate, massive repression. Duterte reverses this process. First, there is massive repression, in this case, the indiscriminate killing of over 10,000 suspected drug users. Then the power grab, in this case the declaration of martial law, the first phase of which we have witnessed with the imposition of military rule in Mindanao. Finally, there's the suppression of basic political and civil rights and liberties in an atmosphere that has been largely sanitized of political opposition. As opposed to creeping fascism, this is “blitzkrieg fascism.”

THIS IS an initiative appropriate to the times. President Duterte has just confirmed that he’s raring to establish a dictatorship. He wants to extend martial law in Mindanao until December this year. And his chuwariwariwap boys in Congress had agreed to this. And now even Vice Leni said don’t be suspicious of his intentions, because he’s out to do good. Seems like he’s out to no good for me.

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The right-wing campaign of violence and terror has accelerated in the lead up to the July 30 Constituent Assembly elections in Venezuela. They fascist-style tactics aimed at maximizing the harm to the public and public property, combined with the targeted killings of supporters of the revolution – worker and peasant leaders, students and soldiers. According to Telesur at least 94 people have been killed since the new wave of opposition-led street violence began in early April. In addition to those killed, over 1200 have been injured. A majority of the victims have been people who were not participating in any protest. The violence has also been aimed against public infrastructure in general: schools, hospitals, popular markets, food shortage deposits, electricity infrastructure, public transport, and government institutions.

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John Bellamy Foster is editor of Monthly Review, author of Marx’s Ecology, and co-author, with Brett Clarke and Richard York, of The Ecological Rift. This interview was first published in the print edition of Left Voice magazine.